#WeekendLove~Meet Isabelle!

Meet Miss Isabelle!She's what we've been up to this weekend.
Isabelle came into our hearts last Sunday when we flew back in from "the farm" to Seattle.
Before I go on and on about the JOY of Isabelle, let me tell you a little bit about what led us to bring this precious little girl into our lives.
It all began when we fell in love with two little bundles of Wheaten Terrier LOVE named Doogan and Murphy.
Murphy is Doogan's brother. Never have I seen Doogan love and play with another dog like he did with Murphy. Doogan and Murphy were litter-mates. They were playmates and buddies. They were soul mates who thought they would always have each other no matter how many miles apart they lived.
As many of you know, Murphy disappeared from the farm a little over a year ago. The loss of Murphy was one of the greatest sorrows our family has ever endured.
I'll never forget the sorrow I felt every time I looked at Doogan.
Even though he didn't know about Murphy's disappearance, it grieved me that he had lost his soul-mate, his buddy, his brother, his bestest-ever friend.As odd as it sounds, the summer Murphy disappeared, a dark spot/circle of hair grew on Doogan's back and mysteriously remained there for several months. Doogan's groomer nor his vet had any idea where it came from or how it grew to be. For me~it was Doogan's way of recognizing that Murphy was gone. I know that sounds wild~I'm just telling you it happened.As soon as I realized Murphy was never coming home, I began yearning {almost panicked}for another Wheaten to love and grow up with Doogan. It was at this time, Greg and I began the search for a little girl to join our family.
At the same time my parents were grieving unlike they had ever grieved the loss of a dog. My heart was so sad for them. I had no idea if they would ever open up their hearts to another dog. Murphy was their companion. The special dog they would grow old alongside. To know this had been taken from them was beyond heart-breaking.
Not long after we began our search for a little girl Wheaten Terrier I received an email about a 9 month old Wheaten Terrier that needed a home. My first question was "Is it a girl?" Looking back now. It was honestly a miracle of sorts. I've wanted to share this story for so long but have chosen not to. I've just never known that I could write the words that would do the sweetness justice. Needless to say, we were surprised and intrigued to know there was a little girl Wheaten who needed a home.A little girl that needed us.More than that...a little girl, that had no idea how much we all needed her.
Meet Lila!
There are so many things about Lila that led us to Isabelle.
Lila brought more JOY than we could have ever dreamed. Lila brought our Doogan to life like I had not seen since he and Murphy were together. Lila was the most unexpected GIFT. She had us mesmerized from the first moment we met her. She's dreamy~truly. You'd have to meet her to believe how lovely and lively she is!As much as we loved and adored Lila, the most unexpected thing began to happen. Across the miles, through daily pictures and videos, Mother and Daddy began to fall in love with Lila.
Without realizing it, Lila was healing the hearts of us all. We began sharing and talking about Murphy again. Lila was bringing life back to Murphy in the sweetest way, and lifting our sad hearts out of darkness and into her SUNSHINE.
It became clear that this little girl was meant for something so much bigger than living life here on Bainbridge Island with Greg, Doogan and I. Lila was meant to travel to the farm and bring JOY to a place that had been smitten with grief following the loss of Murphy.Why are we always SURPRISED when GOD sends exactly what we need at exactly the right time?
Last Spring our family began making plans for Lila to travel home with me to the farm. Flying this little girl would not be easy, but we had to be very brave and have faith that God would take care of her.
I'll never forget my last thought when Lila left our home and Doogan and we headed to take the ferry to the airport. I knew without a doubt there would never be that much JOY ever again in our home.
My heart sank knowing Doogan was losing his Lila~but it beamed knowing God had bigger plans for this little girl that was now being called "Murphy's Angel."
Now Miss Lila lives on the farm.
She's where she was always meant to be. She brings bounds of JOY to my parent's and to us all when we visit!
She's an angel.She's an ANGEL in the realest sense of the word. There's no doubt about that.
Returning home to Lila on the farm brings me JOY and peace that only God can deliver.
So this brings us to Isabelle.
Again. My heart is over~flowing with love and joy!
We've had Isabelle for just a week and it feels as if we've loved her forever.
Once again our Doogan is lit up with a sweet twinkle in his eyes. He's got a new puppy-mate. A sister. A soul-mate, a play-mate and best friend.
This weekend we took Isabelle on the trails here on Bainbridge Island for the first time. She was a little trooper. She waddled behind Doogan as he led her down his favorite trails.
We're so grateful she's come into our lives.
We're so grateful for all the Wheaten's and fur~balls we've been blessed to love.Thank you for sharing the joy of Isabelle with us.
Thanks for always listening when I share my heart.
I love you and wish you a happy week!
I've got some yummy recipes to share!
xoDon't miss a post subscribe via Rss Reader

37 comments:

Oh my goodness Lila, Isabelle and Dugan and sweet Murphy are just the cutest ever! I'm so happy you were able to share Lila with your parents. And now Dugan has a special new sister. We just adopted Baxter and Sabi is still getting use to sharing is abode with an energetic puppy in the house.

Thanks Sweet Jane!You are right...bittersweet indeed.Love knowing that God sent Miss Lila to us as an angel meant to heal our hearts and bring us JOY that only Lila can!Love it when you KNOW things come from GOD!xo

Aw, you made me cry, Teresa, but in the best of ways. I am so happy for you and your family. I understood and empathized with every single word you wrote, it touched me so deeply. As someone who is involved with dogs and rescue, these happy beginnings just warm my heart. Wishing you all the best with your new additions!

Awwww how beautiful :))) I'm beaming with such cuteness! I can remember how sad it was when Murphy went missing and so awful that you still don't know, but this is such a wonderful story and the gorgeous Doogan just loves having playmates doesn't he - what a sweetie xox

omg!!!! bless you and your newest little bundle of joy! everytime i read the story of murphy,i tear up.....it still makes me so sad, so i know how your whole family must feel. I am so happy that miss lila is able to go to your parents and has found a new home filled with love and JOY!!!! now on to miss isabelle!!! sweet goodness!!! she is soooo pretty! congrats on this little fur nugget!!! i thought about getting a wheaten prior to our doodles. i have heard so many wonderful things!!!! you will have to let me know if you think the females are more 'hormonal' then doogan....i am finding that our mini labradoodle, who is a little girl, is a HANDFUL!!! she gives her big brother a run for his money. more difficult to train and basically is a rascal!!!

i am so happy for you all! this was the sweetest post and made me smile!!!!! xoxoxo

Oh, Teresa....what a sweet, sweet post. ♥ I love all of your fur babies...and how you write about them. You're right...WHY are we surprised when God sends us just what we need? So happy that Lila & Isabelle have such wonderful homes and are right where they are supposed to be!

Such a precious story with adorable fur babies! My eyes leak every time Murphy is mentioned. I so hope he is with someone who adores him...even if they wouldn't return him. :/ Lila is absolutely beautiful! I don't know how you gave her up but I totally understand sharing her with your parents. I'm sure their hearts are blooming now with her to keep them company. Miss Isabelle is adorable! I hope that she & Doogan become best friends and playmates!

Pat you are the sweetest!Thank you for loving the sweet memory of Murphy.It wasn't easy giving Lila up but believing with all my heart that God intended her to go beyond our home to heal the hearts of my parent's made it easy.I learned many years ago we must follow where HE leads.Going to the farm and seeing the life that Lila has with my parent's is GOLDEN.It's like a gift that can only be given by God.xo

Oh you sweet girl Robin!I just HEART you. It was the sweetest most miraculous thing when our hearts began to heal after LILA came into our lives. One day we all just realized we were freely sharing about Murphy again~and allowing ourselves to remember all the sweet things about him.Honestly. It was all due to the love and joy of Lila. I call that an ANGEL~don't you!xoxoxoxoxo

Hi there, Sounds like Isabella is a miracle too. What a sweet tale; you left me wanting to know more of the story of Lila though. I'm thankful that Doogan now has a best friend to hang out with. Puppies bring joy to life; our Hunter has with hubby and I. Isabella is so cute!!!! I know she was meant to be with you and Lila with your folks. Wheatens are such a hoot-know you'll have fun days ahead.Hugs, Noreen

Oh, my goodness gracious how stinking cute!!! Loved, loved this post! I have a Wheaton her name is Miss Maggy and I know how easy it is to love these sweet fur balls. They are the bestest doggies!! I have had her going on 11 years! I wish you many, many happy years with your new girls !! Love hearing about them ~ Too so share more Oh goodness all most as much as cookin and I love that a bunch ! So , sorry about Murphy, RIP sweet Murphy! I am looking forward to seeing and hearing about all your adventures with these sweet fuzz faces. Smiles from the South!

What a sweet joy for your parents and you and the four legged babies all the way around. Love your babies and what a blessing. And let me say, Doogan has 2 sisters ;) ones just with your parents. Hope you share more adorable pictures. :)

This is an amazing story. I've been reading about puppies all over the place today. My husband and I are in prayer that our landlord will let us get a little puppy. We're so desperate for a fur-baby. I feel like they almost complete your lives. So happy for you that you have little Isobelle. She's gorgeous!

Such a sweet, sweet story. Thanks for sharing. Isn't it amazing what a pet can do for us. They certainly are a blessing in ways we may never understand. You make me want to get another dog as a friend for our Jake. Ever since our Sam passed away it just hurts too much to think about getting another to take his place. But, boy, would Jake be happy.

P.S. We found Sam from a local shelter so he was a mix, but everyone always said he looked like a Wheaten. Many of your pictures certainly remind me of him. I'll send you a link to a post I did and you can see for yourself. He was a furry mess, and unfortunately was badly groomed, but he was such a special dog for us.

Oh my goodness Teresa!!! I SO need to hear a sweet story right now and this one is just spectacular! I am so very happy for your family...your parents must be just BEAMING!!! Glittering with excitement with a new little girl to take care of!! How wonderful for all of you! So glad you all had a safe trip. Thank you so much for your kind words about my Dad. It has been a very rough week. I'm way behind in reading and commenting and feel a bit foggy right now, but just wanted to let you know how very much it meant to me that you sent me a sweet note.xoJeanne